Department for Transport

Bridges: Barcombe

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 1 November (HL3360), how long the pause referred to is intended to be; what the financial penalties will be if a decision is taken to not proceed with the infilling of Barcombe Bridge; and why the price for the infilling was accepted after the decision was taken to pause the programme.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: No decision has yet been taken as to when the pause to infilling work on the Historical Railways Estate might end. As advised previously, National Highways is reviewing its programme of works and seeking additional input through its ‘Stakeholder Advisory Forum’ which comprises key stakeholders, with an interest in historical railways and active travel. This body will review all future National Highways major works proposals, ensuring future schemes take account of stakeholder feedback and opportunities to repurpose and re-use structures.No financial penalties will be incurred by National Highways if the infilling of Barcombe Bridge does not proceed.The procurement activity for works to Barcombe Bridge commenced on 5 May 2021, before the pause was in place. National Highways took the decision to continue with the process as it was already underway and this would be more cost effective, and represent better value for money, than having to repeat the process at a later date, if required. National Highways have stated to the contractor that no work should be taken forward until further instructions are issued.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what their target is for the number of electric car charging points to be installed; and by when.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We have targets for en-route charging on the Strategic Road Network, to ensure there are enough chargepoints to enable long distance journeys:By 2023, we aim to have at least 6 high powered, open access chargepoints (150 - 350 kilowatt capable) at each motorway service areas in England.By 2030, we are planning for there to be around 2,500 high powered chargepoints across England’s motorways and major A roads.By 2035, we expect the number to increase to around 6,000 high powered chargers across the network.We have not set targets for the total number of public chargepoints and we expect local authorities to work with the private sector to meet the charging needs of residents, businesses and visitors. Electric vehicle drivers will require rapid chargepoints to enable long distance journeys, but for many drivers, home charging on driveways and garages is expected to be the most convenient option for shorter journeys. Further, the Government has announced it will require new homes and homes undergoing major renovation with associated parking to have a chargepoint installed.The Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of EVs. We will set out our next steps to address barriers to private investment, level up charge point provision, and regulate to protect consumers. The strategy will clearly establish the Government’s expectations for the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Phase One HS2 enabling works covering (1) gas, (2) water, (3) telecommunications, and (4) electricity, have been (a) approved in principle, (b) approved in full, and (c) completed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HS2 Ltd has advised that out of 912 overall diversions on Phase One, 526 are (a) agreed in principle, 221 (b) approved in full, and 128 (c) complete. These figures can be broken down into (1) gas, (2) water, (3) telecommunications, and (4) electricity as per the below. Agreements in PrincipleGas 47Water 190Telecommunications 166Electricity 123Total 526 Approved in fullGas 34Water 80Telecommunications 33Electricity 74Total 221 Works completeGas 31Water 29Telecommunications 19Electricity 49Total 128

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number of electric car charging points in each local authority, and (2) any geographical differences in levels of installation.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The number of public electric vehicle charging devices available at 1 October 2021 in each local authority of the UK, was as follows Local Authority / Region Total devicesper 100,000 populationUNITED KINGDOM25,92738.7GREAT BRITAIN25,59539.3ENGLAND21,92538.8NORTH EAST91634.2County Durham12423.3Darlington3128.9Hartlepool1111.7Middlesbrough3021.2Northumberland18657.4Redcar and Cleveland3424.8Stockton-on-Tees8543.1Tyne and Wear (Met County)41536.2Gateshead6632.7Newcastle upon Tyne12440.4North Tyneside4722.5South Tyneside3019.9Sunderland14853.3NORTH WEST1,72523.4Blackburn with Darwen3120.7Blackpool2417.3Cheshire East11229.0Cheshire West and Chester9928.8Halton1713.1Warrington8942.5Cumbria23747.4Allerdale1919.4Barrow-in-Furness913.5Carlisle4945.2Copeland2841.2Eden4583.7South Lakeland8782.9Greater Manchester (Met County)44715.7Bolton248.3Bury2211.5Manchester11220.2Oldham3313.9Rochdale2712.1Salford7628.9Stockport3612.2Tameside2511.0Trafford5221.9Wigan4012.1Lancashire40933.3Burnley2426.9Chorley4638.7Fylde1619.7Hyndburn2125.9Lancaster7450.0Pendle1516.3Preston5336.8Ribble Valley2845.1Rossendale1521.0South Ribble5045.0West Lancashire4841.9Wyre1916.8Merseyside (Met County)26018.1Knowsley2013.1Liverpool16833.6Sefton269.4St. Helens2212.1Wirral247.4YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER1,32724.0East Riding of Yorkshire6218.1Kingston upon Hull, City of4115.8North East Lincolnshire2415.1North Lincolnshire2514.5York8640.8North Yorkshire21634.8Craven2848.8Hambleton3639.2Harrogate5332.8Richmondshire1935.4Ryedale5089.9Scarborough1917.5Selby1112.0South Yorkshire (Met County)30121.3Barnsley4518.1Doncaster5718.2Rotherham6926.0Sheffield13022.1West Yorkshire (Met County)57224.4Bradford10819.9Calderdale4722.2Kirklees6314.3Leeds28936.2Wakefield6518.5EAST MIDLANDS1,41329.0Derby6525.3Leicester7922.3North Northamptonshire9226.3Nottingham15144.8Rutland1946.9West Northamptonshire8220.2Derbyshire21827.0Amber Valley1511.6Bolsover3948.0Chesterfield5552.4Derbyshire Dales3649.7Erewash2118.2High Peak2527.0North East Derbyshire109.8South Derbyshire1715.5Leicestershire22431.4Blaby4847.1Charnwood3920.7Harborough3738.7Hinckley and Bosworth4237.0Melton815.6North West Leicestershire2523.9Oadby and Wigston2543.6Lincolnshire24932.5Boston4563.5East Lindsey5236.6Lincoln6464.0North Kesteven1613.5South Holland1212.5South Kesteven4330.0West Lindsey1717.7Nottinghamshire23428.1Ashfield2317.9Bassetlaw3832.1Broxtowe3429.7Gedling3327.9Mansfield2724.7Newark and Sherwood3629.2Rushcliffe4335.4WEST MIDLANDS1,72328.9Herefordshire, County of6734.6Shropshire7021.5Stoke-on-Trent3714.4Telford and Wrekin3016.5Staffordshire21224.0Cannock Chase2423.6East Staffordshire2016.5Lichfield1716.1Newcastle-under-Lyme4131.6South Staffordshire4842.7Stafford4230.5Staffordshire Moorlands99.1Tamworth1114.3Warwickshire25243.2North Warwickshire3350.4Nuneaton and Bedworth2116.1Rugby5347.9Stratford-on-Avon7758.2Warwick6846.9West Midlands (Met County)90430.7Birmingham15413.5Coventry481126.8Dudley3811.8Sandwell3711.2Solihull11954.7Walsall248.4Wolverhampton5119.3Worcestershire15125.2Bromsgrove4241.8Malvern Hills1012.6Redditch1214.0Worcester2928.9Wychavon4332.8Wyre Forest1514.8EAST OF ENGLAND1,66726.6Bedford10258.4Central Bedfordshire4615.6Luton5224.4Peterborough6632.6Southend-on-Sea168.8Thurrock1910.8Cambridgeshire17226.2Cambridge5644.8East Cambridgeshire2022.2Fenland54.9Huntingdonshire4625.7South Cambridgeshire4528.0Essex33022.0Basildon5830.9Braintree7146.4Brentwood79.1Castle Point33.3Chelmsford3720.6Colchester4522.8Epping Forest3526.5Harlow1213.7Maldon913.8Rochford1517.1Tendring1610.9Uttlesford2223.7Hertfordshire32327.0Broxbourne1818.4Dacorum2314.8East Hertfordshire1711.2Hertsmere2826.5North Hertfordshire2921.7St Albans4026.8Stevenage910.2Three Rivers5962.8Watford4748.6Welwyn Hatfield5342.8Norfolk29832.6Breckland4129.0Broadland2015.2Great Yarmouth3232.3King's Lynn and West Norfolk5335.0North Norfolk6662.8Norwich5236.6South Norfolk3423.8Suffolk24331.9Babergh2324.8East Suffolk6224.8Ipswich5540.4Mid Suffolk1817.2West Suffolk8547.9LONDON7,86587.4Inner London4,943135.0Camden373133.4City of London36329.1Hackney13949.5Hammersmith and Fulham580316.0Haringey9234.5Islington286115.3Kensington and Chelsea547348.7Lambeth30795.4Lewisham13243.2Newham15343.1Southwark390121.9Tower Hamlets19057.2Wandsworth623188.9Westminster1095405.8Outer London2,92254.7Barking and Dagenham6429.9Barnet21052.6Bexley4518.1Brent23772.3Bromley8625.8Croydon10025.7Ealing28082.3Enfield12537.5Greenwich25788.9Harrow4919.4Havering3111.9Hillingdon19864.1Hounslow282103.8Kingston upon Thames9653.6Merton19996.4Redbridge7524.5Richmond upon Thames354178.7Sutton5124.6Waltham Forest18366.1SOUTH EAST3,41637.1Bracknell Forest3629.0Brighton and Hove345118.3Isle of Wight5135.8Medway176.1Milton Keynes372137.7Portsmouth7233.5Reading6238.7Slough6845.5Southampton8734.4West Berkshire10868.2Windsor and Maidenhead4026.4Wokingham7040.2Buckinghamshire16530.2East Sussex11520.6Eastbourne3634.8Hastings1516.2Lewes2423.2Rother1313.4Wealden2716.6Hampshire52337.6Basingstoke and Deane8346.7East Hampshire3729.9Eastleigh5842.8Fareham1210.3Gosport1113.0Hart4748.2Havant2721.4New Forest8044.5Rushmoor3537.1Test Valley4233.0Winchester9172.3Kent42526.7Ashford3224.4Canterbury6539.0Dartford3530.7Dover3126.2Folkestone and Hythe3127.4Gravesham109.4Maidstone6437.0Sevenoaks2923.9Swale3724.5Thanet2618.4Tonbridge and Malling2015.1Tunbridge Wells4537.8Oxfordshire31044.5Cherwell9763.9Oxford10569.3South Oxfordshire4531.3Vale of White Horse4331.2West Oxfordshire2017.9Surrey33928.3Elmbridge3827.7Epsom and Ewell1721.0Guildford5838.6Mole Valley2124.0Reigate and Banstead2919.4Runnymede3639.9Spelthorne4646.1Surrey Heath2629.1Tandridge1516.9Waverley3426.9Woking1919.0West Sussex21124.3Adur1015.6Arun2716.8Chichester5545.3Crawley4136.5Horsham2919.9Mid Sussex3623.7Worthing1311.7SOUTH WEST1,87333.1Bath and North East Somerset6834.6Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole8220.7Bristol, City of12326.4Cornwall27648.1Dorset12332.4Isles of Scilly00.0North Somerset9041.7Plymouth7428.2South Gloucestershire11941.3Swindon4721.1Torbay2619.1Wiltshire16733.1Devon30137.1East Devon6443.2Exeter4936.8Mid Devon2732.4North Devon5152.0South Hams3337.5Teignbridge2518.5Torridge2434.9West Devon2849.9Gloucestershire21032.8Cheltenham3429.3Cotswold5965.4Forest of Dean1517.2Gloucester3829.3Stroud4335.6Tewkesbury2121.7Somerset16729.6Mendip3832.7Sedgemoor3326.7Somerset West and Taunton4730.2South Somerset4929.0WALES99431.4Isle of Anglesey5578.1Gwynedd8164.7Conwy4538.1Denbighshire1919.7Flintshire3421.7Wrexham3525.7Powys8966.9Ceredigion4257.6Pembrokeshire10885.2Carmarthenshire7438.9Swansea5723.1Neath Port Talbot128.3Bridgend2718.3The Vale of Glamorgan2619.2Cardiff7520.3Rhondda Cynon Taf187.4Merthyr Tydfil711.6Caerphilly3921.5Blaenau Gwent1825.7Torfaen2829.5Monmouthshire5355.7Newport5233.2SCOTLAND2,67649.0Aberdeen City9943.2Aberdeenshire10640.6Angus7564.8Argyll & Bute86100.7City of Edinburgh14627.7Clackmannanshire2344.8Dumfries & Galloway10268.8Dundee City12785.3East Ayrshire6755.1East Dunbartonshire2523.0East Lothian123114.0East Renfrewshire2425.0Falkirk5333.0Fife11430.5Glasgow City20331.9Highland22495.1Inverclyde3444.1Midlothian6064.4Moray4648.1Na h-Eileanan Siar28105.7North Ayrshire5037.2North Lanarkshire16548.4Orkney Islands40178.6Perth & Kinross12179.7Renfrewshire7139.6Scottish Borders5144.3Shetland Islands2191.8South Ayrshire5750.8South Lanarkshire14846.1Stirling115122.2West Dunbartonshire2629.4West Lothian4625.0NORTHERN IRELAND33217.5Antrim and Newtownabbey3725.7Ards and North Down1911.7Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon3114.3Belfast5315.5Causeway Coast and Glens3121.4Derry City and Strabane2717.9Fermanagh and Omagh3832.4Lisburn and Castlereagh1711.6Mid and East Antrim2417.2Mid Ulster2416.1Newry, Mourne and Down3117.1 The Government is supporting all local authorities in the UK to provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking through the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme. This year, £20 million is available under the scheme to ensure more local authorities and residents can benefit.In addition to grant funding, Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of EVs across all areas of the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of practical challenges of increasing the number of electric car charging points.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The UK has been a global front-runner in supporting provision of charging infrastructure along with private sector investment. Our vision is to have one of the best infrastructure networks in the world for electric vehicles (EVs), and we want chargepoints to be accessible, affordable and secure. Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will focus on how we will unlock the chargepoint rollout needed to enable the transition from early adoption to mass market uptake of EVs. We will set out our next steps to address barriers to private investment, level up charge point provision, and regulate to protect consumers. The strategy will clearly establish government’s expectations for the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure. Building on the £1.9 billion from Spending Review 2020, the Government has committed an additional £620 million to support the transition to electric vehicles. The additional funding will support the rollout of charging infrastructure, with a particular focus on local on street residential charging which has already seen £20 million committed this financial year, and targeted plug-in vehicle grants. The total funding committed by this government to vehicle grants and infrastructure is £2.5 billion.

Road Traffic Offences

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the results of the internal review on road traffic offences; and why there was not a public phase to the review.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Following the announcement of a review of driving offences and penalties in 2014, the Government conducted a review of driving offences that focused on the most serious offences that involve death or injury. The results of this review are being brought forward as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.In addition, and as part of the Government keeping the law under regular review consideration is being given to a call for evidence on part of the Road Traffic Act. The Government is not able to provide further details at this stage because they are still being worked on.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Hydrogen

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when in 2022 they expect to publish their hydrogen production strategy.

Lord Callanan: As set out in the UK Hydrogen Strategy, the Government intends to provide further detail on its hydrogen production strategy in early 2022.

Small Businesses: Environment Protection

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide help for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises to become more environmentally sustainable.

Lord Callanan: Businesses have significant power to drive change towards achieving the UK’s domestic net zero goal. In order to underline the importance of this area, this year the Government led the Race to Zero campaign targeting small and microbusinesses across the UK. 2,362 have joined the Race to Zero to date. Many businesses across the UK have said they want to tackle climate change, but that they are unsure how to start this process. Through the small business campaign, the Government has taken an important step towards making net zero relevant to SMEs by helping businesses access the support they need. Following COP26, the Government will continue to support UK businesses to meet their net zero commitments, including exploring a government-led digital advice service that consolidates and simplifies advice, funding, and other support on net zero. The Government will also look to consult stakeholders on the Small Business Energy Efficiency Scheme (SBEES) later this year. The scheme will aim to remove barriers for SMEs in accessing energy efficiency measures, drive forward better buildings performance and help SMEs to meet regulatory standards.

Heating: Hydrogen

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward their decision on the role of hydrogen in heating buildings from the current date of 2026.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how long industry would need to adjust to a requirement to use hydrogen in the heating of buildings.

Lord Callanan: The Government plans to take decisions in 2026 on the role of hydrogen in heating buildings. In order to inform these decisions, the Government is working with industry and others on a range of projects that will help to assess the feasibility and impacts of using hydrogen in place of natural gas and the timescales required for industry to adjust.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme have been (1) received, and (2) approved, since they were introduced.

Lord Callanan: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) was introduced by the Government in March 2020 to provide financial support to smaller businesses across the UK that were losing revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As of 31 May 2021, 251,342 applications had been submitted to approved CBILS lenders, of which 109,877 were successfully approved. Decision-making on whether a business was eligible for CBILS was fully delegated to the accredited lenders. CBILS closed for new applications on 31 March 2021.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many companies have defaulted on the instalment repayments Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) so far; what is the value of loan repayments remaining overdue; and how many small and medium sized businesses are currently overdue on CIBILS repayments.

Lord Callanan: Many borrowers have begun to repay their Covid-19 Government facilities. Many have also taken advantage of the Government’s amendments to loan scheme rules which have provided businesses greater flexibility and space to start repayments. For those who borrowed under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), the Government has taken action to allow lenders to extend the term of CBILS loans up to a maximum of ten years where they assess that borrowers are in difficulty and will benefit from the extension. Information related to loan repayments for the Government’s Covid-19 loan schemes will be included in the Department’s 2020-21 Annual Report and Accounts, to be published in due course.

UK Endorsement Board

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government when (1) the UK Endorsement Board, and (2) the UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited, commenced outreach activities on the endorsement of accounting standards.

Lord Callanan: The UK Endorsement Board formally commenced outreach activities following the inaugural Board meeting on 26th March 2021. Prior to the UK Endorsement Board being formed, the Secretary of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) held the powers to formally adopt accounting standards for use in the UK. During this period, the UK Endorsement Board Secretariat worked with the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and BEIS to develop endorsement and adoption advice for consideration by the Secretary of State. This included outreach activities. The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the FRC. It does not undertake any functions to which outreach activities are relevant.

UK Endorsement Board: Data Protection

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government when (1) the UK Endorsement Board, and (2) the UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited, were required to register with the Information Commissioner for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Lord Callanan: The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board began to process personal data when its Board Members were appointed on 11th March 2021. The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited began to process personal data when it held the inaugural meeting of its Directors on 25th October 2021.

UK Endorsement Board: Data Protection

Baroness Bowles of Berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government when (1) the UK Endorsement Board, and (2) the UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited, registered with the Information Commissioner for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Lord Callanan: The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board was entered on the data protection register on 5th July 2021. The UK Accounting Standards Endorsement Board Limited was entered on the data protection register on 16th September 2021.

Heat Pumps: Costs

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of their target set out in the Heat and Buildings Strategy for heat pumps to cost the same (1) to buy, and (2) to run, as fossil fuel boilers in 2030.

Lord Callanan: Alongside leading figures in industry and many suppliers, we are confident that the costs of heat pumps can reduce by 25-50% by 2025 and have set an ambition to work with industry to achieve further reductions towards overall cost parity with gas boilers by 2030 at the latest. The policies we are introducing, including a new £450m Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the Future Homes Standard, and a new market mechanism in the heating appliance market, will rapidly scale up the market to help deliver cost reductions.We remain committed to working with industry to keep costs down and making sure energy prices are fair and affordable and incentivise consumers to make sustainable choices. We will launch a Fairness and Affordability Call for Evidence on options to help rebalance electricity and gas prices with a view to taking decisions in 2022.

Combined Heat and Power

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they removedcombined heat and power from thesecond phase of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for heating is not compatible with that ambition. In order to help meet this ambitious emissions reduction target, the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme has a strong focus on reducing on-site emissions in public sector buildings. It is a scheme requirement that all funded projects remove a fossil fuel heating system and replace this with a low carbon heating system. This means that grant funding cannot be used to purchase any heating technology that runs on fossil fuels, including gas and oil Combined Heat and Power units.

Combined Heat and Power

The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tofund combined heat and power projects for public bodies, such as the NHS; and whether any such funds would be made available via government agencies, such as Salix Finance.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. On the path to net zero, the Net Zero Strategy and the Heat and Buildings Strategy committed to an aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for energy is not compatible with that ambition. Combined heat and power installations can encompass a range of different generation technologies and are fueled by fossil fuels or renewable sources such as biomass. Whilst those that operate using fossil fuels are not supported under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, there are a number of existing support mechanisms in place for CHP that meets defined efficiency thresholds, including environmental tax exemptions such as the Climate Change Levy. The Government continues to look to develop policies to support the decarbonisation of combined heat and power in the future and there is currently a live Call for Evidence on the pathway to decarbonisation for CHP that runs to 20 December 2021.

Ministry of Justice

Young Offenders: Females

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women in prison aged 18 to 20 share a cell with a woman aged over 20 years old.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As of 12th November, there were 65 prisoners in the HM Prison and Probation Service Women’s estate who were aged between 18 and 20. Of these, fewer than five were sharing a cell with another prisoner who was aged 21 or over.

Young Offenders: Females

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what age-specific training prison staff receive for working with female prisoners aged 18 to 24.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have developed the ‘women’s estate specialist training’ (WEST) course. Its modular content is threaded throughout the apprenticeship foundation programme to offer a distinct and dedicated course, underpinned by a trauma informed approach. This forms part of the nine-week foundation period for new prison officers destined to work within the women’s estate. The first dedicated WEST course has been scheduled to take place in January 2022. This course also contains a module which focuses on young women in custody. Existing staff in the women’s estate are able to access information through ‘myLearning’ which includes the Young Adults page which is designed to be an accessible resource for all staff to understand better the needs of this age group in custody.

Children in Care: Mental Capacity

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Deprivation of Liberty orders were issued each month since July to individuals in care who were under 16 years old.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the number of deprivation of liberty orders in relation to individuals in care who were under 16 years old.Applications for deprivation of liberty orders can be made by local authorities when they need to accommodate a child in a non-secure placement. Cafcass – the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service – collect the data on these applications from local authorities and 164 deprivation of liberty applications were made in the period 1 July – 31 October 2021.

Youth Custody: Females

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women aged 18 to 24 have been received into prison in each year of the past 10 years, by establishment.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The attached tables show the number of first receptions of women aged 18-24 from 2011 to 2020, by establishment. The Female Offender Strategy set out the Government’s vision of fewer women offending and reoffending; fewer women in custody, especially on short-term sentences, with a greater proportion of women managed in the community successfully; and where prison is necessary, better conditions for those in custody.Table for HL3997 (xlsx, 18.3KB)

Prisoners: Pregnancy

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many women in prison aged (1) 18 to 24, and (2) 25 years or older, were pregnant while in custody in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.On 20 September the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a new policy on pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units and maternal separation from children up to the age of two in women’s prisons, which contains a range of reforms for improving the care of pregnant women. The policy requires increased local and central data collection on self-declared pregnant women in our care, to ensure individuals are receiving the relevant support and to ensure policy is more informed.We publish some of this data in the HMPPS Annual Digest of statistical information. We published the first of these on 29 July 2021, which showed that during the period July 2020-April 2021 an average of 26 women self-declared as pregnant each week.This is a dynamic area of policy and we will continue to consider our central data collection as it develops.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 3 November (HL3348), what further steps they have taken to "coordinate with international partners on efforts to reduce tensions and support regional stability” in Armenia.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: UK diplomats continue to engage with partners. This includes in Baku, Yerevan and at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna where the UK continues to reinforce our support for the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and their work to facilitate negotiations over all outstanding matters relating to the conflict. The UK Government continues to urge Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in substantive discussions under the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The Minister for Europe and Americas reinforced these messages in her recent meetings with the Armenian Ambassador on 4 November and the Azerbaijani Ambassador on 17 November.

Nagorno Karabakh: Politics and Government

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they recognise Nagorno-Karabakh as being part of the Republic of Azerbaijan; and whether they are aware of any Armenian Armed Forces located in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government supports the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Azerbaijan whilst recognising the acceptance of a free expression of will on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as laid out in the Minsk Group's Basic Principles. The UK Government has no independently verified evidence that Armenian Armed Forces are currently located in Nagorno-Karabakh. We continue to support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict through substantive negotiations without preconditions and without the use of military means.

Electronic Surveillance

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to follow the lead of the government of the USA by blacklisting Pegasus spyware.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK does not operate a US style "entity list" for commerce blacklisting. It is vital that all cyber actors use capabilities in a way that is legal, responsible and proportionate to ensure cyberspace remains a safe and prosperous place for everyone. The UK works closely with allies around the world to tackle cyber threats and improve our overall global resilience to attacks. The National Cyber Security Strategy, supported by £1.9 billion funding, has transformed the UK's fight against the cyber threat since 2016. We operate a policy of sanctions against organisations and individuals who are a threat to UK national security, including in Cyber.

Raed Jadallah

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel regarding reports of the killing of Raed Jadallah by Israeli snipers.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out transparent investigations into whether the use of live fire had been appropriate. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of the Israeli security force's adherence to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

Syria: Turkey

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the likelihood of a future conflict in Turkish-occupied Syria, and (2) the steps that need to be taken to prevent such a conflict.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK made clear its opposition to Turkey's military operation in north east Syria in October 2019.  We assess that the ceasefire in north east Syria is broadly holding. The UK engages regularly with Turkey on Syria and continues to call for all actors to meet their obligations under international law. We are aware of the recent reports of increased violence in the region and the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa called for de-escalation on the 1 September.

Xinjiang: Cotton

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reported remarks by the Foreign Secretary relating to genocide in Xinjiang; what plans they have (1) to ban cotton imports from Xinjiang, or (2) to impose sanctions on companies operating there.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As part of our commitment to tackling the issue of Uyghur forced labour, the Government announced in January a number of measures to help ensure that no UK organisation is complicit through their supply chains in the human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang.Whilst we do not currently have plans to place import controls on goods from China, we are working with our international partners to ensure that global supply chains are free from the use of forced labour. We will continue to keep our policy response to goods produced using forced labour under close review.

Uighurs: Cultural Heritage

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reported comments by the Foreign Secretary relating to genocide in Xinjiang, what discussions they intend to have with UNESCO about the destruction of Uyghur cultural sites including cemeteries.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the Government's response to the recent Foreign Affairs Committee report on Xinjiang, we are committed to helping to protect culture and heritage around the world, including in Xinjiang, and it is important for UNESCO to pursue its mandate with determination and commitment. We agree that UNESCO should be fully aware of what is happening in Xinjiang, and consider carefully how it can pursue its mandate in this context. We intend to raise this matter with our UNESCO partners.

China: Olympic Games

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reported remarks by the Foreign Secretary relating to genocide in Xinjiang, what plans they have, if any, for boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Government has previously made clear, no decisions have yet been made about Government attendance at the Beijing Olympics in 2022.

Myanmar: Armed Conflict

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that increased military attacks againstcivilians in the Burmese province of Chin State are approaching the classification of genocide.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned at increased military attacks against civilians in Chin State including credible reports of torture, forced labour, sexual violence and attacks on places of worships. We are concerned about the particular vulnerability of religious minorities in the State. Over 40,000 people have been displaced as a result of the increasing violence.The UK released a statement in country on 15 October, urging the military to end the violence. We secured a Press Statement at the UN Security Council on 10 November calling for the protection of civilians, humanitarian access and urging the military to exercise restraint. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and are in discussion with partners on next steps.

UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UN Security Council's decision on 29 October to extend the mandateof the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara until 31 October 2022, what representations they have made to the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy regarding his role in (1) de-escalating tensions in the region, and (2) working towards a political solution for the region over the next 12 months.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK supports UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution that provides for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. We have regular discussions with the UN, both in New York and in the region, as well as with the parties regarding the situation in Western Sahara. We welcome the appointment of Staffan de Mistura as Personal Envoy to Western Sahara and UK senior officials have met with him in New York. We encourage the parties, neighbouring states, and international partners to make the most of this opportunity for a renewed political process, including a return to a ceasefire.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Situation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to avert a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan this winter; and what plans they have to send urgent assistance to the civilian population in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK will spend £286 million on humanitarian and development needs in Afghanistan this year. On 31 October the Prime Minister announced that £50 million would be allocated to provide over 2.5 million Afghans with life-saving food, emergency health services, shelter and warm clothing to prepare for winter.

UNRWA: Finance

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reinstate the full UK contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom (UK) is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise UNRWA's unique mandate from the United Nations General Assembly, to provide protection and core services including health and education to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The UK's annual contribution to UNRWA's programme budget helps UNRWA to provide basic education to more than 533,000 children a year (half of whom are girls), access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable across the region. The UK is working with UNRWA and other donors to improve UNRWA's financial viability. This includes broadening UNRWA's donor base, encouraging the full disbursement of pledges and encouraging support through multi-year funding.

Mohammed Daadas

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the government of Israel about the killing of Mohammed Daadas.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 6 November Minister Cleverly publicly expressed condolences to the family of 13 year old Mohammed Da'das, who was killed near Nablus following clashes between Palestinians and Israeli Defense Forces. We have urged the Israeli authorities to carry out a swift and thorough investigation. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the case with Israeli Defense Forces directly. We regularly raise the importance of the Israeli security force's adherence to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.

UNRWA: Finance

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of reports that the United Nations Relief and Work agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is close to collapse following a reduction in funding.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom (UK) is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise UNRWA's unique mandate from the United Nations General Assembly, to provide protection and core services including health and education to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The UK's annual contribution to UNRWA's programme budget helps UNRWA to provide basic education to more than 533,000 children a year (half of whom are girls), access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable across the region. The UK is working with UNRWA and other donors to improve UNRWA's financial viability. This includes broadening UNRWA's donor base, encouraging the full disbursement of pledges and encouraging support through multi-year funding.

UNRWA: Finance

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reduced aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA); if so, (1) by how much, and (2) for what reasons; and what plans they have to ensure that Palestinian refugees continue to be provided with UNRWA services.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom (UK) is a long-term supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise UNRWA's unique mandate from the United Nations General Assembly, to provide protection and core services including health and education to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The UK's annual contribution to UNRWA's programme budget helps UNRWA to provide basic education to more than 533,000 children a year (half of whom are girls), access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees and social safety net assistance for around 255,000 of the most vulnerable across the region. The UK is working with UNRWA and other donors to improve UNRWA's financial viability. This includes broadening UNRWA's donor base, encouraging the full disbursement of pledges and encouraging support through multi-year funding.

Iran: Detainees

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of British Iranian dual nationals detained by the government of Iran; and what support they are providing (1) the detainees, and (2) their families.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The welfare of detained dual British nationals remains a top priority. We lobby on health concerns and mistreatment allegations. We call on the Iranian government immediately to allow health professionals into Evin prison to assess the situation of dual British nationals there. We do not provide information about numbers of British nationals detained in a country when the low numbers involved may lead to individuals being identifiable.The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides consular support to the families of dual British nationals detained in Iran whenever they want our support. We continue to raise their cases at the most senior levels, and discuss them at every opportunity with our Iranian counterparts. Our Ambassador in Tehran regularly raises our dual national detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran about the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; and what assessment they have made about the prospects for her release.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Iran's decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through. Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison Iran must release her permanently so she can return home. The Foreign Secretary raised her case, and the cases of Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz, with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 22 September and 8 November. Minister Cleverly met with Deputy Foreign Minister Bagheri Kani on 11 November. We continue to engage with Iran at the most senior levels and our Ambassador in Tehran continues to regularly raise our detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministers hold regular meetings with officials to direct activity across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Ofice aimed at securing the release of Nazanin and other unfairly detained British nationals.

Israel: West Bank

Baroness Janke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel following reports of overnight raids on homes in the West Bank village of Fahma by Israeli forces.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Nigeria: Religious Freedom

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 29 September (HL2695), what progress they have made on their engagement "with state governments, civil society, faith and community leaders and affected communities” in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Our High Commissioner and her team regularly visit states to engage with state governments, civil society, faith and community leaders and affected communities. Most recently, British High Commission officials visited Plateau state in October 2021, where they met with a range of interlocutors, including Christian and Muslim leaders to discuss intercommunal violence. These discussions highlighted the causes of the intercommunal violence are complex and relate frequently to criminality, competition for resources and failures of governance.We regularly raise insecurity in Nigeria with the Nigerian Government. On 1 November, the Minister for Africa raised the issue of insecurity with Nigeria's Foreign Minister in a meeting at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The Prime Minister also discussed this with President Buhari in the margins of the Global Education Summit in July. We continue to urge and support the Nigerian Government to take action to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence.

Cameroon: Hospitals

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the Cameroon military occupying a hospital in Shisong; and what discussions they have had with the government of that country in relation to this incident.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK Government is deeply concerned about recent reports of the Cameroon military storming a hospital in Shisong, in the North-West region of Cameroon. Reports of human rights abuses and violations by both armed separatists and the security forces in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon are disturbing. We regularly raise these incidents and the crisis with the Government of Cameroon, including through our High Commission in Yaounde. On 15 November, alongside the Heads of Missions of Canada, Switzerland, and the United States, we publicly condemned attacks against civilians and urged for dialogue. We reiterate the need for continued and broadened dialogue to bring stakeholders together and address the root causes of the crisis. We have since reiterated these calls in our engagements with the Government of Cameroon.

Sudan: Climate Change

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to section 40 of the Glasgow Climate Pact, what steps they will take to provide emergency assistance for necessary mitigation and adaptation to climate change in Sudan.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As COP26 President, the UK is committed to driving action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and support countries that are most vulnerable to adapt to the impacts of climate change such as Sudan. This will be crucially important for communities in Africa, where the impacts of climate change are already being felt. The UK is a long-standing supporter of African adaptation, with around half of our £2.7 billion adaptation budget between 2016 and 2020 spent in Africa. We have strengthened these commitments at COP26, where the UK announced £143.5 million funding for programmes for African countries to adapt to the impact of extreme weather and changing climate. We have provided a guarantee to the African Development Bank, releasing up to $2 billion of climate finance - half of which will be for adaptation. These commitments demonstrate that Africa is at the heart of our approach to climate and nature. In the case of Sudan the military coup d'état of 25 October does not change the need to address climate change issues and ordinary Sudanese must not suffer as a result of the military's actions. We will however keep any specific support under review in light of the evolving situation.

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the statement by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office quoted in the Financial Times on 4 November that clean energy equities in emerging and developing markets "consistently outperform the MSCI Emerging Markets Index" were cleared with (1) the Financial Conduct Authority, and (2) ministers.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: At a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) event in the margins of COP26, officials presented on mobilisation as a policy agenda and quoted a reputable research document authored by the International Energy Agency in collaboration with the World Bank and the World Economic Forum. Their report highlighted that investments in clean energy transition in emerging markets have outperformed comparable benchmarks for emerging market assets. Referencing these research findings does not constitute investment advice by FCDO.

Ministry of Defence

Tanks: Iran

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of the £400 million debt owed to the government of Iran for the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks in 1979; and what steps they are taking to repay it.

Baroness Goldie: Her Majesty’s Government acknowledges International Military Services’ debt and remains committed to exploring all options for a practicable and legally-viable means of discharging it, and intensive efforts are underway to that end. We will not, however, comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.

Warships: Deployment

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the carrier strike group will return to the UK.

Baroness Goldie: The Carrier Strike Group (CSG) deployment will return to the UK in mid-December. This concludes a seven-month deployment where ships and aircraft from the Group have operated and exercised with over 40 countries, demonstrating our interoperability and commitment to working with allies and partners.

Army: Reserve Forces

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 14 October (HL2832), whether they can confirm that, of the posts listed, only the Director Reserves, Army Headquarters and Deputy Commander Field Army posts are (1) held by officers with previous reserve experience, and (2) within the army chain of command.

Baroness Goldie: I can confirm that of the posts listed, only the Director Reserves, Army Headquarters and Deputy Commander Field Army posts are held by officers with previous reserve experience, and within the Army Chain of Command. Major Generals Brooks-Ward, Ashmore and Herbert are all officers with previous reserve experience; however, their current posts are not within the Army Chain of Command.

Ministry of Defence: Property

Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total area of any Ministry of Defence (1) land, and (2) buildings, sold off in each of the last five years; and what was the value of each sale.

Baroness Goldie: The total area of Ministry of Defence land and the number of sites sold in the last five years is shown in the table below, together with additional receipts such as clawback and overage. Disposal ReceiptsAdditional ReceiptsTotalFinancial YearGrossNo of SitesBuilt Estate HaTraining Estate HaArea HaGrossGross2020-21£104,401,66724120.0016.24136.24£1,476,791£105,878,4582019-20£80,423,94639355.6415.59371.23£1,908,810£82,332,7562018-19£79,354,5404652.6940.4593.14£3,020,293£82,374,8332017-18£173,449,60629547.280547.28£3,207,499£176,657,1052016-17£83,641,50528521.4965.13526.626£7,022,085£90,663,590Total£521,271,2641661597.1177.411674.516£16,635,478£537,906,742  A table detailing the value of each site has been placed in the library of the House. HL4187 - MOD Land Disposal (xlsx, 218.2KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Household Support Fund

Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the£500 million Household Support Fund will be made available; and what amount has been allocated for each of the financial years for which the Fund will be available.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The £421m Household Support Fund has been available to Local Authorities in England since 6 October 2021 and runs until 31 March 2022. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million. The devolved administrations are responsible for making their own plans to spend their funding.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Recycling

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce confusion regarding recycling in England; what plans they have to require companies to simplify recycling instructions on their packaging; and whether they have plans to legislate to standardise local authority rules over what can and cannot be recycled.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As part of our Resources and Waste Strategy, we want to make recycling easier and ensure that there is a comprehensive and consistent service across England. This will help to reduce confusion with recycling, ensure that there is more recycled material in the products we buy, and that the UK recycling industry grows. Following support at public consultation, the Environment Act 2021 requires that all waste collection authorities in England must make arrangements for a core set of materials to be collected for recycling from households. This core set includes: paper and card; plastic; glass; metal; food waste and garden waste. The Environment Act 2021 also requires that all businesses and non-domestic premises in England must make arrangements to recycle the same set of recyclable materials, with the exception of garden waste. In our recent consultation on ‘Consistency in Household and Business Recycling in England’, we consulted on defining these waste streams in greater detail in secondary legislation. We are currently analysing stakeholder responses and will publish the result of these decisions in our government response in early 2022. Earlier this year we consulted on proposals to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging in the UK, these proposals include a mandatory requirement for producers to label packaging to indicate whether it is or isn’t recyclable. This will ensure that consumers are provided with clear and consistent information and will help to make it easier for them to recycle. We are currently analysing stakeholder responses to the consultation and will set out further details in the Government Response which will be published in early 2022.

Bats: Conservation

Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out a cost-benefit analysis of bat surveys in planning applications; and, if so, what value they placed on the life of a bat, disaggregated by indigenous species.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: This government has committed to leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it, underpinned by our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. Protecting and conserving bat populations, including species like the serotine bat, is an important part of this.Natural England (NE) has not carried out a cost-benefit analysis of bat surveys in planning applications. However, NE is in the process of evaluating the benefit to bat conservation from actions taken as a result of regulatory work. It is expected that the initial findings will be published in early 2022/23.NE is currently testing a new approach to bat licensing through the Bat Earned Recognition Pilot. The pilot aims to streamline the licensing process through accrediting ecologists, enabling them to have greater discretion to progress low risk cases, estimated to be up to 90% of all applications. This will reduce costs and delays for customers whilst providing better outcomes for bats. The pilot is well advanced and is currently in the process of accrediting ecologists, with a view to being operational from early in 2022.

Hydroelectric Power: Licensing

Lord Cameron of Dillington: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have increased hydropower licence fees for run-of-river schemes by 895 per cent since 2016; and how this aligns with their ambition to generate more renewable energy.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for managing water resources in England to ensure there is a sustainable supply of water for the public, businesses and the environment. This work is funded by licence fees charged to businesses which abstract or impound water, including hydroelectric power (HEP) operators.The EA is proposing to reform its water resourcing charging scheme from April 2022 so that the scheme is fairer and recovers the full costs from customers for the services they require. The EA will continue to invest in the key foundations that deliver water resource management as well as in maintaining and operating infrastructure, modernising the licensing system and protecting water stressed catchments, particularly chalk.On average it costs the EA nearly £13,000 to assess a HEP permit application due to the significant, wide-ranging, and complex risks these schemes can pose to the environment. The EA currently charges £1,500 for HEP permit applications, which means HEP applications are currently subsidised by fees paid by other businesses. To fully recover the costs of the services HEP operators require, the EA is proposing to change HEP permit application fees, depending on the volume of water required. Unlike most other abstractors, HEP operators generating less than 5 megawatts will continue to be exempt from annual subsistence fees. The charges for HEP permit applications were last increased in 2014.The EA ran a public consultation on the proposed charges between 18 August and 10 November 2021. It is now analysing all consultation responses to consider whether any changes to the proposals are necessary. It will publish a response document within 12 weeks of the consultation closing.The Government acknowledges the valuable contribution of hydropower to the UK energy mix over many decades, and it is important that it operates in a way that safeguards the environment.

Fishing Catches: EU Countries

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what data they have on the catch taken by the EU Fisheries fleet in UK waters this year.

Lord Benyon: The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement requires both Parties to share information on records of catches from each other’s waters. The UK receives information on records of catches of quota and non-quota species from the UK Exclusive Economic Zone by EU vessels on a monthly basis.

Home Office

Asylum: France

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with the government of France to provide safe access to asylum procedures on both sides of the English Channel.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK and France have fully functioning asylum systems which can be safely accessed on the respective territories. Individuals in need of international protection can claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, this is the fastest route to safety.

Undocumented Migrants: Mobile Phones

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many mobile phones have been issued (1) to individuals in immigration removal centres, and (2) to asylum seekers arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel by boat, between 1 January 2018 and 30 June 2021.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The published Detention Services Order 08/2012 sets out the Home Office’s policy on detained individuals’ possession of mobile phones in immigration removal centres.To enable contact with friends, family and legal representatives, where individuals do not have a suitable mobile phone, Home Office suppliers can provide temporary access to basic model mobile phones for individuals in detention, or those awaiting initial processing. These mobile phones are returned when individuals leave the respective centre.No mobile phones are provided in Initial Asylum Accommodation, however; individuals can request a data sim card which enables internet access, for use during their stay.Detention Services Order 08/2012  - Mobile Phones  (pdf, 184.5KB)

Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre: HIV Infection

Lord Smith of Finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government why a detainee at Colnbrook Immigration Centre was denied HIV medication.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: All immigration removal centres (IRCs) have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses, which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers, and delivered in line with the national service specifications for healthcare services in IRCs. There is also full access to the 24-hour on-site healthcare team and where appropriate, medication.We take the health and welfare of those detained in our care very seriously. All detained individuals entering an IRC receive a healthcare screening within two hours of their arrival, which identifies any immediate or long-term healthcare risks. Unless they decline, individuals in IRCs are given an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours. Clinical pathways into other healthcare services are initiated at this point depending on the outcomes of the reception screening, including into sexual health services and specialist HIV prescribers. Those carrying prescribed medication will have their medication checked and re-issued by healthcare teams at the earliest possible opportunity. Individuals continue to have access to medical assistance, including medication, throughout their time in an IRC.We are working closely with NHS England to ensure that HIV positive detained individuals, who refuse or frustrate access to their existing held medications, can be seen promptly by qualified HIV doctors who are able to access and prescribe without delay.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Standards

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Building Research Establishment reportThe Cost of Poor Housing in England, published 11 November, that "it is costing the NHS some £1.4 billion per year to treat those people who are affected by poor housing".

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has a safe home and welcomes this updated research from the Building Research Establishment into the fiscal cost of poor-quality housing. As part of its ongoing work to ensure the quality of housing, the Government is currently reviewing the Decent Homes Standard and Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

Driving Offences: Fines

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to create a single appeals process for motorists if they are unfairly fined.

Lord Greenhalgh: In its response to the Code Enforcement Framework consultation in March 2021, the Government announced a series of fairer parking measures, including the creation of a single independent appeals service for motorists to turn to if they receive a private parking charge. Before finalising a delivery model for the appeals service, the Government has committed to carry out a product Discovery to better research the needs of the users of the service. This will ensure a high-quality service in which motorists and the industry can have full confidence.

Homelessness: EU Nationals

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of EU nationals living inEngland who have become homeless since the UK formally withdrew from the EU.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to alleviate homelessness among EU nationals living in England.

Lord Greenhalgh: Local housing authorities report their homelessness activities under Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996 to the Department by completing the quarterly Homelessness Case Level Collection (H-CLIC) statistical return. H-CLIC is an upload of all cases about statutory homelessness and the authority's activities within the legislative framework.Figures from the latest H-CLIC data show that in England between March 2020 and April 2021, 15,140 EEA nationals were owed a homelessness prevention or relief duty. This is an 11% decrease from 2019/20.

Cabinet Office

Northern Ireland Protocol

Lord Tyrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, prior to the triggering of Article 16 of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, they would provide an opportunity for that action to be debated in Parliament; and whether any such debate would be on a divisible motion.

Lord Frost: The UK Government has always been clear that we would prefer to settle these issues consensually and reach a positive outcome with the EU through negotiations. However, if a negotiated outcome cannot be found, Article 16 remains a legitimate provision within the Protocol to safeguard peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and to support the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement. In such circumstances, we will, of course, set out our justification for using Article 16 and its legal basis at an appropriate time. The Government remains committed to keeping Parliament updated on the UK-EU relationship and to providing legal certainty and clarity for Northern Ireland.

Foreign Relations: Russia

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last spoke to the President of Russia.

Lord True: The Prime Minister last spoke to President Putin of Russia on Monday 25 October. Details of their call were published on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-president-putin-of-russia-25-october-2021) and stated that: “The Prime Minister spoke to Russian President Putin this afternoon ahead of the COP26 Summit. He welcomed the steps Russia has taken in recent days to commit net zero by 2060. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Russia will raise that target to achieving net zero by 2050 as well as making further progress on ending deforestation and an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution. President Putin expressed his regret that he would not be able to attend the COP26 Summit in person in the light of the coronavirus situation in Russia. The Prime Minister was clear that the UK’s current relationship with Russia is not the one we want. He said significant bilateral difficulties remain, including the poisonings in Salisbury in 2018. The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of Ukrainian sovereignty. The Prime Minister said that as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council and major world economies with a long, shared history, the UK and Russia have a responsibility to work together to tackle shared challenges like climate change and safeguard international agreements like the Iran Nuclear Deal. The leaders also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of any recognition of the Taliban being conditional on their behaviour, including respect for human rights.”

Ministerial and Other Maternity Allowances Act 2021

Baroness Noakes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to remarks byLord True on 25 February (HL Deb, col. 961) that they would review their approach to drafting legislation following concerns expressed during the passage of the Ministerial and Other Maternity Allowances Act 2021, when they expect (1) to complete, and (2) to publish, their review.

Lord True: A response on this issue is in the process of being finalised. I hope to respond to Noble Lords before the House rises for the Christmas recess.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to trigger Article 16 of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Lord Frost: It remains the UK’s preference to find a negotiated outcome to problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Government will use Article 16 as a safeguard measure if a negotiated outcome cannot be found, in order to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and address difficulties caused by the Protocol.

Coronavirus: Immunosuppression

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed have died due to COVID-19 in England since 2 September.

Lord True: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician The Lord MendelsohnHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW22 November 2021 Dear Lord Mendelsohn, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed have died due to COVID-19 in England since 2 September (HL4024). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. National Records for Scotland (1) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2) are responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. The mortality statistics published by the ONS are based on the causes of death provided by the certifying doctor (or in some cases coroner). The death certificate lists only those health conditions or circumstances which led directly to the death or otherwise contributed to it but does not include any other health conditions the deceased suffered from if the certifier did not consider them relevant to the death. Immunosuppression can arise directly from a diagnosed health condition or from the side-effects of treatment, and there is no definitive list of causes of death linked to immunosuppression. Therefore, we are able to provide the number of deaths due to COVID-19 where certain health conditions commonly associated with immunosuppression were also mentioned on the death certificate, but this does not provide a comprehensive count of all deaths due to COVID-19 where immunosuppression might have been involved. Table 1 shows the number of deaths registered due to COVID-19, where diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism were mentioned on the death certificate, in England and Wales between 2 September to 5 November 2021. Yours sincerely,   Professor Sir Ian DiamondTable 1: Number (3) of deaths (4) registered (5) due to COVID-19 where diseases (6) of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism (7) were mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales, 2 September to 5 November 2021 (8). Due to COVID-19Of which, diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism mentioned 6,686114 Source: Office for National Statistics(1) https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/(2) https://www.nisra.gov.uk/(3) Figures are provisional.(4) Deaths for England and Wales exclude non-residents.(5) Based on date a death was registered rather than occurred.(6) The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) definitions are as follows: coronavirus (COVID-19) (U.071, U.072, U.099, U.109) and Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism (D50 to D89).(7) Deaths where diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism were mentioned includes deaths that have these causes mentioned on the death certificate but not as the underlying cause of death.(8) These figures are calculated using the most up-to-date data we have available to get the most accurate estimates. Letter Response to PQHL4024 (pdf, 71.5KB)

Legislation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish the review into the language used in drafting legislation.

Lord True: A response on this issue is in the process of being finalised. I hope to respond to Noble Lords before the House rises for the Christmas recess.

Northern Ireland Protocol: UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to apply the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and what assessment they have made of the implications of this application for the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Lord Frost: The Government has invested substantial funding to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol in line with our current obligations and to support businesses adjusting to this change, including through the Trader Support Service and the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS). We have already spent over £150m on these services. The forecast spend for the Trader Support Service is for £360m over the full two years to the end of 2022 and the forecast for MAS is that total spend could run to up to £150m.The Northern Ireland Protocol is not part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Nevertheless, there have been suggestions that the EU would take retaliatory actions under the TCA should the UK invoke the Article 16 safeguards. This would aggravate the problems in Northern Ireland rather than reduce them. Article 16 is a legitimate safeguard within the Protocol and we would urge the European Commission to consider the impact of such disproportionate actions.

Treasury

Housing: Energy

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toreduce VAT on (1) home renovation, and (2) retrofit work, in order to support households to invest in energy efficiency measures.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: A reduced rate of VAT at five per cent is maintained for some residential renovations, including those that increase the number of dwellings or renovating properties that have been empty for two years or more, subject to certain conditions. Expanding the reliefs that are already available would come at a cost to the exchequer. For example, expanding the reduced rate already available to include all renovations and repairs is estimated to cost the Exchequer at least £3.75 billion a year. While all taxes are kept under review, the Government has no plans to review the VAT treatment of home renovations.

COP26

UN Climate Conference 2021: Disability

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 18 November (HL3652), who assessed all permanent and temporary venues at COP26 as fully accessible; and whether they will put into the Library of the House a record of the input of the Disability Inclusive Working Group into COP26.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Inclusivity and accessibility were key priorities for the COP26 summit and the venue was designed to facilitate that. The SEC venue has been awarded the Gold Charter of Best Practice by the charity Attitude is Everything.The COP26 permanent structures were fully wheelchair accessible, and the venue holds gold level accessibility status. A complete accessibility audit for the temporary structures was completed by the production company, Identity. The structures were all fully compliant.The COP26 Unit Civil Society Engagement Team established an officials-led Disability Inclusive Working Group, composed of disability Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and disabled people’s organisations. This group provided helpful guidance to the unit in the run up to COP26, which was incorporated into our planning.

Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan tosign theIntergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action by Unicef; and if not, for what reasons.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK has long recognised the unequivocal threat that climate change and environmental degradation pose to the lives and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the world, including the most marginalised and vulnerable.The UK has been committed to amplifying the voices of young people from across the world through our COP26 presidency and domestic frameworks.In the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government sets out a plan for how the natural environment will be protected and enhanced for our, and future, generations. One of the actions it commits to is to help children and young people from all backgrounds engage with nature and improve the environment.We support many of the principles in the declaration on children, youth and climate action and will carefully consider how to engage with it.